Disney Sets ‘Pete’s Dragon’ Helmer David Lowery For New Live Action Peter Pan Film

EXCLUSIVE: Disney will make its own live-action Peter Pan film, and has set David Lowery to direct a script that he will write with Toby Halbrooks. They teamed to write and Lowery directed Pete’s Dragon, a new version of Disney’s 1977 live action/animated musical. It will be the second effort in the family film space for Lowery, who was best known for writing and directing the edgy indie Ain’t Them Bodies Saints. Jim Whitaker will be the producer on this one.

Disney might as well reclaim the J.M. Barrie work about the boy who would not grown up; it was the focus of its successful 1953 animated film. Many other studios have made their own versions on the big and small screen, including Steven Spielberg’s star-studded Hook to most recently the Joe Wright-directed Pan, which didn’t work out well for Warner Bros. Lowery is separately working towards directing Robert Redford in The Old Man And The Gun, which Lowery adapted from the David Grann Vanity Fair article about an aging thief who in the 1980s knocked off a lot of banks in throwback style and became a folk hero outlaw.

This becomes another strong project for Disney’s live-action division, run by Sean Bailey, which has generated its own list of family-themed blockbusters from past Disney properties and theme park attractions and some originals. It doesn’t get the ink accorded to sister silos Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm, but it has gotten results that should continue with the upcoming Jon Favreau-directed The Jungle Book, which is already slated to develop a sequel. The division has a Tim Burton-directed Dumbo percolating, and Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, which directors Joachin Ronning and Espen Sanberg have wrapped.

Also percolating is the James Bobin-directed sequel Alice Through The Looking Glass, a Mary Poppins sequel with Rob Marshall directing Emily Blunt and Hamilton‘s Lin Manuel Miranda, the Bill Condon-directed Beauty And The Beast with Emma Watson, Angelina Jolie in Maleficent 2, Emma Stone set for Cruella De Ville, Dwayne Johnson attached to Jungle Cruise, James Mangold developing Captain Nemo, Ehren Kruger developing Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, with a version of Tower Of Terror based on a John August idea. There is also Tinkerbell, which has Reese Witherspoon attached. Latter film is on track to happen before Peter Pan, and it is possible that there could be some crossover cast.

Your collaboration with writer Toby Halbrooks on this movie must have impressed Disney because the two of you are already back together at work on the live action “Peter Pan” movie. Can you give Disney fans an update on that and what attracted you to the new project?

David Lowery: “Peter Pan” is one of my favorite stories. It’s always been something I care deeply for so it was completely the opposite of “Pete’s Dragon” where it wasn’t one of my cherished childhood favorites but this one is. I really have a wonderful working relationship with Disney. Everyone there is just terrific and I wanted to make another movie with them. They suggested this project and asked if I’d be interested and we decided to have a go at it. So we’re working on the screenplay right now and it’s still in the very early stages. We just started writing it but it’s a lot of fun and we’re excited to have that responsibility because when you’re dealing with a movie like that, that’s one of the most famous Disney films of their animated classics, then you need to be very careful with how you adapt it. So we’re taking it one step at a time but having a lot of fun doing it.

The studio has more than a dozen remakes currently in the works, including a Tim Burton Dumbo with Eva Green and Danny DeVito, a new Peter Pan written and directed by David Lowery, and a 101 Dalmatians riff called Cruella starring Emma Stone.

While the upcoming Peter Pan movie might be further off than any original expected 2018 arrival, producer Jim Whitaker is willing to share his idea of what to expect from it.

Speaking to ComicBook.com in an exclusive interview at a press event for his upcoming Disney film, A Wrinkle in Time, Whitaker opened up about how far along the Peter Pan film is and what audiences can expect from the adaptation of J.M. Barrie's classic tale. "Still working on the script, honestly," Whitaker said. "But you know David Lowery's work. He worked on Peter Pan and I would say some of the tenets of his great work is a kind of grounded emotionality. And I think that's at least one part of what you can expect. But it'll be a big, rollicking adventure, too."

In fact, fans can expect the film to contain quite a bit of inspiration, as well. It's something common in Whitaker's films and will never be more evident than in A Wrinkle in Time. The Ava Duvernay-directed Disney movie aims to inspire people of all ages to find their light and hope, which is what drew Whitaker to it.

"A lot of [my movies] have to do with emotion," Whitaker said. "It's really about a character's journey and a lot of them has to do with hope. I like to do movies that ultimately have hope in them."

There is no bit of hope or message of finding your inner hero spared in A Wrinkle in Time, which Whitaker credits to the director. "The film, in terms of science fiction and fantasy, is a movie that has embedded messages in it that were really important to [Duvernay]," Whitaker adds. "A message of hope, a message of good versus evil. Messages of self actualization. And those were really important to her. But it's also a kids movie, and I think she really, really wanted to tell a story that was just for kids. And that was important to her."

A release date for Peter Pan has not yet been revealed. Disney's A Wrinkle in Time hits theaters on March 9, 2018.

Dal sito The DisInsider:EXCLUSIVE: Disney’s Live-Action PETER PAN Film May Head To Streaming Service

Peter Pan, a 1953 Disney animated classic take on the J.M. Barrie story about the three children of the Darling Family who are taken to Neverland by a boy who never grows up and his fairy friend, Tinker Bell, is getting a live action remake and, from what we are hearing it is possibly, heading to Disney’s streaming service!

David Lowery is set to write and direct the live-action adaption of the film. Lowery also wrote and directed Disney’s Pete’s Dragon (2016). Toby Halbrooks, who co-wrote Pete’s Dragon, will also join in writing this film, and Jim Whitaker will be producing.

There is a chance we will see Reese Witherspoon as Peter’s Pixie companion, Tink, while the rest of the cast is TBD. Reese has performed phenomenally in many films and Tinker Bell would be a great role. For many of us, the most exciting roles still to be cast: Who will play Peter and Wendy…?

While the story has been retold many times through TV shows and movies, David Lowry did a great job with the live-action Pete’s Dragon, so it will be interesting to see his take on the tale and it could have potential to be really exciting!

Disney already has a lot of content in development for the streaming service including live-action remakes of Lady and the Tramp, Sword In The Stone, as well as Noelle starring Anna Kendrick, Magic Camp starring Adam Devine, Stargirl, 3 Men And A Baby, Don Quixote, Timmy Failure, The Paper Magician, and Togo.

The studio has dated 7 untitled live-action projects over the course of the next 3 years, and while it is expected to feature new projects our guesses that the studio may officially announce the future installments in the Pirates and TRON franchises, as well as live-action adaptations of Snow White, Peter Pan, and our surprise prediction the long-awaited Enchanted sequel.

We have learned that Disney’s live-action ‘Peter Pan’ remake has been retitled to ‘Peter Pan and Wendy’ and that the film will eyeing to begin production on April 17th in Canada.

The ‘Peter Pan’ film will be directed by David Lowery, he will also co-write the screenplay with Toby Halbrooks.

David Lowery is known for directing ‘Ain’t Them Bodies Saints’, ‘Pete’s Dragon’, ‘A Ghost Story’ and ‘The Old Man & The Gun’. Toby Halbrooks is known for writing ‘Pete’s Dragon’ and for producing ‘A Ghost Story’. Jim Whitaker will produce the live-action remake, he has previously produced Disney films such as ‘A Wrinkle In Time’, ‘The Finest Hours’, ‘The Odd Life of Timothy Green’, the upcoming Disney+ feature film ‘Timmy Failure’ and Lower’s previous Disney film, the live-action ‘Pete’s Dragon’.

‘Pete’s Dragon’ is the first Disney film that Lowery directed. The film follows the adventures of an orphaned boy named Pete and his best friend Elliot, who just so happens to be a dragon.

It was said last year by our friends at TheDisInsider that the live-action ‘Peter Pan’ film could be going to Disney+. Whilst we cannot confirm if the film is heading to the streaming service or not, it wouldn’t be surprising given how many live-action remakes are already being prepared theatrically for 2021.

‘Peter Pan’ is J.M. Barrie’s classic tale of a boy who wouldn’t grow up and recruits three young siblings in London to join him on a magical adventure to the enchanted Neverland island.

Despite being announced a few years ago, Disney is finally prepping its live-action adaptation of Peter Pan.

According to Discussing Film, the film is set to begin production this spring on April 17th in Canada. The outlet is also reporting that the film has been re-titled Peter Pan & Wendy.

David Lowery (Pete’s Dragon) is still on board to direct with Toby Halbrooks, who co-wrote Pete’s Dragon, is on board wrote the most recent draft for the film. Jim Whitaker (A Wrinkle In Time) will be producing the project alongside Joe Roth (Maleficent: Mistress of Evil) which is currently casting.

Back in 2018, we reported that the project could make its way to Disney+, and as far as we know that is still the case. However, Disney has declined to comment on that report as of now.

The Disney company is going to have a busy Spring 2020 as their live-action adaptation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs begins filming in March, while The Little Mermaid will also begin filming April. As of now Disney has not announced the release date for these project but rest assured they are set.